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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990 06-261' ... _ SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MERIDIAN CITY COUNCIL JUNE 26, 1990 The Special Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order by acting Mayor Ron Tolsma at 7:30 p.m.: Members Present: Bob Giesler, Bert Myers, Ron Tolsma: Members Absent: Grant Kingsford, Max Yerrington: Other Present: Joe Haynes, Steve Smith, Olive L. Clouss, J. Clouss, Howard Foley, James Shearer, Paul McLeod, Joseph Johnson, Bob Van Houten, Jack L. Bruck. Terry Smith, Bill Brewer, Wayne Forrey, Rich Sampson, Kathi Sampson, Terry Stewart, Dean Mayes, Moe Alidjani, Jack Sweet, Ida Tina Sweet, Wayne Crookston, E.A. Thierhouse,: Tolsma: The purpose of this Special Meeting is for a Public Hearing to discuss the proposed LID for the redesign and refurbishing of E. 1st Street. I will open the Public Hearing, if there is anyone present to testify for or against the E. First project, please come forward and be sworn. Robert Van Houten, 416 E. 1st Street, was sworn by the attorney. Van Houten: I fail to see how this project would benefit me or my business on E. First, I think that we are in pretty good shape there now for another ten years. I can't see that it would benefit me at all, any costs from this will have to be bourn directly out of my income, I don't have anyone else to assist me in paying this for my share. I feel that its an unwarranted burden on my income. Thank you. Crookston: Are you a property owner? Van Houten: Yes. Howard Foley, 2875 Autumn Way, Meridian, was sworn by the attorney. Foley: I along with three other people jointly own a piece of property at 77 E. Idaho. I and my partners last time we talked about this were supportive of this, we understand that the burden will be places on us but we think that the improvements will far out- weigh what the costs is. Our biggest concern is if we pass the opportunity with the involvement of the Ada County Highway District as well as the Department of Transportation's funds. We will never capture that opportunity again in the forseeable future. We are supportive of the project and would urge you to form the business improvement district. Jay Johnson, I own the property at::the corner of Pine & 1st Street, was sworn by the attorney. Johnson: I basically agree with Mr. Foley, however if we are talking about repairing and fixing up the streets water & sewage and drainage, we're talking about one thing, if we're talking about expansion of or taking away, by increasing the sidewalk. then I'm opposed to it very much so from my own property standpoint. I want to know what is going to happen to my property before we go along with anything. It would hurt my tenants, hurt me and the property, and I am very much opposed until somebody takes the time to tell me what is going to be happening at that property. . • • SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 26, 1990 PAGE #2 Johnson: Yes we need the streets it's an opportunity of a lifetime, LID is fine, fixing up the town is fine, I'm 100$ for it but I would like to see something a little more positive than what we're talking about in fixing up the downtown area to make it a viable area. I see nobody addressing the parking problem or the problems that I have. Lawrence. Jones, 1495 Lowry, was sworn by the attorney. Jones: I'm trying to start a new business here in Meridian, right now I can see that this project would definitely, about the only thing it would do is raise my rent. I'm trying to get something going to help myself and my community. I'm also in the dark about the parking and I'm confused about what is exactly going to go on with this. Until I get further proof that this is going to help out my business, granted the center of Meridian is going to be looking nice, but the places that are down just a little farther north or south I can't see where it's going to help alot. Crookston: Are you a property owner? Jones: No. Crookston: Who owns the property that .you would be renting? Jones: Larry Jones. Crookston: Is that a relation? Jones: He's my father. Bill Brewer, 105 E. Carlton, was sworn by the attorney. Brewer: I am amazed at a couple of people here tonight that after a year don't know what's going on. From everything that I can find out they will not be loosing their parking spaces, possibly one on each. I'm extremely positive for this. The most concern of mine once more is it has to do with money monatary values and the very things that would cost me if I were to have to do this on my own. The last time I had it bid it would have run me approximately right at nine or ten thousand dollars and thats just for the front and the side of the building. By this being done it reduces that cost to about $3700.00. Alot of the project is going to improve safety and beautify our town and make it better for everybody. Terry Stewart, 916 E. 1st, was sworn by the attorney. Stewart :• This project is needed. My concerns are the cost of the project- It is my understanding that the LID could be raised up to 20~ before it goes back to us for more approval. I think that the project can be done in a more financially responsible way of letting me know exactly how much it's going to cost me before I can commit to the project. Jim Shearer, 1320 E. 1st, was sworn by the attorney. Shearer: Our streets are atrocious our sidewalks are terrible and our curbs are worse, we need a refurbishing. There's been public information given out to get this LID this far as to the costs of what the LID will be. There has been information published on this from the very beginning. • • SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 26, 1990 PAGE #3 Shearer: We could pay out major dollars to engineers to design this project, major dollars to contractors to bid this project and then not have a project. We have to have a financial approval before we can go ahead with this things. I woould very much like to see this project go. Lloyd Jones, 906 E. 1st, was sworn by the attorney. Jones: I'm against it mainly because it's going to cost my tenants. My tenants are my livelihood. Their livelihood is going to be affected because their rent is going to go up. I am completely against it. Dean Mayes, 66 E. State, was sworn by the attorney. Mayes: I own the Circle K at 66 E. State Street. First of all I am in favor of this project. I have not seen a City project that will cost the property owner as little as this project will cost and do as much to dress up the main part of our town. I would like to invite the people who oppose it to walk the town from Cherry Ln. to Franklin on both sides of the street. If you'll do that but once you'll be in favor of this project. Jack Sweet, 105 E. 1st, was sworn by the attorney. Sweet: I am in favor of this project. I concur with one of the speakers about when to start, my preference would be to start as early as it can in the spring. With a change in the ownership of the highway we're very apt to end up with a new improvements in any case without the participation the way we want it we could get this project and be assessed for 100 of it. I would recommend strongly that you endorse this program. Terry Smith, 145- Thornwood Dr., was sworn by the attorney. Smith: I want to compliment the City of Meridian for working on this project the way they have, and allowing the community leadership to come forward and say to the City this is a necessary element for improvement of this community. For the City of Meridian, the Mayor and City Council and the staff for not just doing the project, I understand that that's the way the project was done in Payette without an LID hearing without imput from the property owners. I do hope that there is the understanding by all those that have concerns that there is good support for the project, there were 72~ of the property owners that asked that the LID be placed on their property. I urge the City Council to go ahead with the LID and with the project. Crookston: For the record, are you a property owner? Smith: I am not a property owner on First Street and not everyone is aware that Idaho Street was eliminated from this LID hearing and this project. 100 of property owners on Idaho Street want to be included and the only way we can is to form our own LID. Moe Alidjani,2023: Turnberry; was sworiz_ -bys the attorney. Alidjani: I have been in Meridian for about eleven years in Meridian, I have been an active citizen in Meridian I have been hearing this project going on for the last almost eight years. The project is a great project. We own the property at 729 E. 1st. The Citizen's that own property on E. lst will benefit. • SPECIAL MEETING JUNE .26, 1990 PAGE #4 Alidjani: It is our responsibility to improve the sidewalks, it is our town. If you want to have a business on E. 1st, you have to pay the price to do business it is not cheap. I think we should have this done. The only way to improve and attract business is to improve. I urge you if you want to go out of business then reject this LID, if you want to stay in business then I urge you to push this LID through. Wayne Forrey, 3045 Thayen Place, Boise, was sworn by the attorney. Forrey: My initial involvement in this project was to assist the City in securing a block grant to provide some of the financing for this project, that process resulted in Meridian getting all the way to a final application and almost getting a block grant to offset some of the costs, but there were other cities in the state that had health sewer and water priorities and Meridian was put down the list somewhere. So at that point the Mayor and Council approached the two funding partners that were key players in this, one being the Ada County Highway District and the other being the Idaho Department of Transportation and the original concept the four funding partners the LID, the block grant and each of those two agencies were to take about 25~ each of the financing. When the block grant opportunity passed away the Mayor and Council contacted the Highway District and the State Department of Transportation and asked them if they would increase their funding committment. Both agencies did increase their committment from $225,000.00 to $325,000.00. The LID has not increased, it has remained about 22 to 22.5 of the estimated cost of this project. The funding is contingent upon successful implementation of that last piece of the project which is the LID portion, the 22~. The cost in the LID code has a procedure to determine actual cost. The procedure is that you create an LID, you empower an engineer to design, you go through a bidding process, and then at the end of that you tally all of the costs and then you establish the assessment to the property owner. As far as the schedule, it's possible that construction could commence in the fall, it's possible that it may be better to wait until the spring. There is one other issue that hasn't been discussed in terms of the schedule, and that's the Ada County Highway District. They have the authority and now the responsibility to review and. approve all of the design details, like parking. Explained how curbs would be and briefly described some details on the parking. Any improvements that are made in this project are within public right of way, there is not any private property that will have any improvements on it other than perhaps routeing of a sidewalk or something like that. It's reasonable to expect that property values would increase sufficiently. Tolsma: Have they come up with a proposed cost or rough idea of cost on the differential between E. Carlton and Broadway and if the cost differential is going to be per square foot on the northern-southern ends compared to the middle. Forrey: Yes, there was an information meeting and there was some costs presented which indicated that it was going to cost about $25.00 a foot in segment one which is Franklin to the Railroad tracks, about $32.00 per foot from the Railroad tracks to Carlton, and about $20.00 per foot from Carlton to the end of the project near Apollo Cleaners. I can't say if that's a firm number. Those numbers were also based on a 4~ loan through the block grant program, we've lost that opportunity so that loan will now be based on the open market. Crookston: Is there reasonable probability that the likely obligations of the proposed district can be paid by the properties within the district? ` ~ • SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 26 , 1990 PAGE ~~5 Forrey: That there is enough adequate value, yes. Crookston: Is the value in the proposed district sufficient to pay upon assessment. Forrey: Yes. There was a report done by Ada Planning Association and that report indicated that there is capacity in Meridian and Eagle and also Boise to retire much higher debt that what Meridian is looking at. Crookston: Do you have any information or knowledge as to what percentage these assessments would be?' Forrey: No. Brewer: One question that I've never heard answered h. here that seem to have been negative from the beginning possibility the project could proceed, let those two or participation and let Ada County do what they want with the rest of us get on with our lives, or does this have to proceed? ire, we have two or three parties of this project, is there a three parties abstain from their property and then let,. to be 100 approval in order Joe Haynes, 812 N. 17th, Boise, was sworn by the attorney. Haynes: I am an engineer with JUB Engineers. The procedure of an LID is set up so that you can have people who object to the LID as long as there are a minor number of people the procedure is to allow the majority to rule and for those assessments to go to those properties even if those people object to it. Sweet: They are not going to just leave it as it is are they? Haynes: As you know we've met .a few times with The Ada County Highway District as was mentioned earlier the routeing of Hwy 55 is due to be shifted from E. 1st Street to Eagle Road, that doesn't seem like a big deal but it requires a legal document between the City and the Ada County Highway District and the Idaho Transportation Department. What it says basically is that the Ada County Highway District agrees to take over the ownership of maintenance on E. 1ST St.. In about 1981 there was a hearing held in the Cityof Meridian that asked did anybody object to Ada County Highway District taking over that road and nobody showed up to testify and so Ada County Highway District agreed yes we'll take it over. The Ada County Highway District has indicated that if they could get the Idaho Transportation Department' to participate with them only in the improvement of the street that they would only do whatever is necessary from the back of one curb to the back of .the other curb, that means that is what their responsibility is. That's from curb to curb, no sidewalks nothing that would improve the appearance of the downtown. Parking keeps coming up. Todays standards for parking are dictated to us by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The procedure that we have used to this date, is that we will protect the backing oat of angular ;parking from the existing facilities that now have straight in parking, we will angle those so that they will back out into a parking lane, and so far ACRD has bought that. Brewer: Ada County's road right of ways extend beyond back of the curb to back of the curb, as I recall I believe they extend about 7'. If they don't make those improvements I'm then told that Ada County can come out and condemn my sidewalks and by condemning my sidewalks they can force me to put in all new sidewalks on my own. It just makes sense to me to have some help with that. SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 26 , 1990 PAGE #6 Mayes: We lost the block grant I knew that but he said we're still at 22C on .the dollar somebody else is going to pay that other 15~, is there where we stand? Wayne Forrey: If the block grant would have gone through the LID would have picked up about 22-23~, the block grant was 26~, the DOT 26°~ and ACHD 24$, four people all putting in those percentages. We lost the block grant, the Mayor and Council went back to the ACHD and back to the DOT and asked them to increase their percentage, they both raised their percentages to about 38~ each, the LID remained the same. Mayes: So our cost is still basically the same. Forrey: Basically the same, their putting more money in. Jay Johnson: I have a problem on my corner, I want to know if there are going to be variances in this program. I'm not opposed to it I just want to know how they are going to address my property. Voiced concerns about the parking. Tolsma: We have to have an LID in place before we can hire an engineer to work these problems out. The only thing we have now is a concept of what we'd like to have done. Johnson: I feel totally uncomfortable with turning over my property over to somebody else. Terry Stewart: One more comment on your trees in the downtown area. I would like to see them go with a design that goes with low growing shrubs rather than tall trees. Joe Haynes: One of the things about low growing vegetation and evergreens that are ground huggers they have a tendancy to really gather the trash and they are hard to maintain. Larry Jones: Another point about the trees is that they are going to be cutting trees out in front of the sidewalk area and taking out part of that sidewalk area where Terry and I are going to be adjoining businesses together, with the diagonal parking if they cut out enough area there you are going to be backing right onto First Street. There isn't enough room there to take out that much. Joe Haynes: The question of traffic lights has been brought up. There is some concern as to whether or not the traffic light is needed on the present location or whether it should be down Pine Street. Accidents always increase with traffic lights. We do have scetch drawings that show the tree layout and it will not affect the parking. Crookston: Do you have any additional information on the valuation of the proposed district? Haynes: No I don't. Bob Van Houten: I've forgotten what the projected load reduction would be by moving the highway over to the road. Haynes: The Ada Planning Association says that the traffic will drop in half. Crookston: I believe that you've received written testimony that needs to be entered into the record. • • SPECIAL MEETING JUNE 261990 PAGE #7 Tolsma: We have received two letters here to enter into the record, one from Mr. Loyd Jones and one from E. Faye Buchanan. At this time I will close the Public Hearing. Crookston: We need to make several Findings we need to if in fact it is the Council's finding, you need to find that the proposed district will be for the best interests for the property affected and the City, that there is reasonable probability that the litigations of the proposed district will be paid and that the value of the property within the proposed district is sufficient. If that's the finding then the Council needs to adopt and Ordinance for the creation of the LID. The Motion was made by Myers and seconded by Giesler that the Council approves the Findings which are that the district would be in the best interest to the property affected and for the City of Meridian and there would be reasonable probability that the obligations would be able to be paid and that the value of the property would be such that it would support the assessment, and direct the City Attorney to prepare an Ordinance to reflect this. Motion Carried: All Yea: The Motion was made by Myers and seconded by Giesler to adjourn at 8:40 P.M.: (TAPE ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) Motion Carried: All Yea: APPROVED: RONALD TOLSMA, ACTING MAYOR ATTEST: pc: Mayor & Council, Atty; Forrey